“The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.” Often times success is looked at and measured by the final outcome, when the real indication is what was accomplished along the way to yield the desired outcome. The underlying factor of success is purpose, and there is always going to be a reason why somebody is aiming for success. In this day and age, the concept of success can be applied to anything that an individual attains; wealth, fame, and winning a sports game are just a few of many possible examples. The broadness of the term makes it easy to be applied to many scenarios, however I have a different belief on what it really takes to become successful. I believe in success through a growth mindset, perseverance, and the power of habit. It is no surprise that maintaining a growth mindset- the want to thrive on challenge and stretch our existing abilities- has caused for higher senses of achievement in individuals.
Once one understands that they can grow through experience, I believe the likelihood of them obtaining success increases substantially. Author of the novel Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, said “A positive mindset is the difference between a student giving up because they’re “not a math person” and a productive struggle that yields growth.” There is serious power in positivity and I undoubtedly see a good mindset as a key factor in the outcome of success. The greatest power an individual possesses is their mind, and if the mindset of wanting to grow is kept, that person cannot be held back. When faced with a challenge, there are two potential paths to take; one can choose to walk away and avoid confrontation, or they can choose to face the challenge head on. Success is not something that will be found or handed to you, it is something that more times than not is achieved through failure and having resiliency to bounce back. A prime example of succeeding through perseverance is former professional basketball player Michael Jordan. Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, a title as prominent as that at one point did not seem likely.
When Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school, he did not make the varsity basketball team. Instead of walking away, he choose to use that failure to work harder than ever. Once one decides to treat their failures as an opportunity to recollect themselves and get back on their feet, that person is destined to achieve many things. Habits are tasks that are performed so often that they become second nature to somebody. When something is done routinely, and is done well, it allows for somebody to grow and develop towards their goal. This can also be applied to attaining success. The most successful people got to that point by taking action and doing it consistently. Good habits can be easy to adopt and although they can often be hard to follow, they are what separate successful individuals from mediocrity. Cultivating successful habits not only sets an individual up to meet their goals, but I believe it also makes them less likely to quit when things are not working out as planned.
